Warner Bros.
The “Fury of the Gods” may not be so furious. The sequel to “Shazam” from Warner Bros. and DC boomed with $3.4 million in Thursday previews at the domestic box office, following the preview of the original film in 2019.
The sequel to Zachary Levi’s superhero movie comes with a smaller opening than its predecessor. The first “Shazam” movie had $5.9 million in Thursday previews before opening in April 2019 with $53.5 million. It went on to gross $140 million domestically and $366 million worldwide.
However, “Shazam: Fury of the Gods” is only expected to bring in $35 million to $40 million. Each of the “Shazam” movies cost $100 million to produce, but that’s a significant drop from the original.
David F. Sandberg returned to direct ‘Shazam: Fury of the Gods’, the second adventure for young Billy Batson, who can transform into a superhero by saying the word ‘Shazam’. Billy and his foster siblings, who also have Shazam powers, must face the Daughters of Atlas, played by Helen Mirren, Lucy Liu and Rachel Zegler. The cast also includes Asher Angel, Jack Dylan Grazer, Ross Butler, Djimon Hounsou and more.
In his review for Variety, lead film critic Owen Gleiberman wrote, “The villains are defeated, the mythology fulfilled, but the real story here is that a superhero saga that seemed to hold potential for larger-than-life whimsy and delight is ultimately squashed into the mold of another superhero franchise. The force that does that is the true force that must be defeated.”
Despite the lukewarm reviews, “Shazam” is expected to beat last week’s blockbuster “Scream VI,” and it’s the only new wide release this weekend.